Curtis Reeves trial date set for October, six years after movie theater shooting

DADE CITY, Fla. - Six years after the fatal shooting of a man inside a Pasco County movie theater, the retired police officer who pulled the trigger now has a trial date. During a Thursday morning hearing, a judge set Curtis Reeves' trial date for October 5.

Reeves, a retired Tampa police captain, is the suspect in the deadly shooting that killed 43-year-old Chad Oulson back in 2014. 

Reeves arrived at the Pasco County courthouse, holding hands with his wife, Vivian, and smiling as they walked in. Shortly after, Oulson's wife, Nicole, arrived with her attorneys. Both wives were inside the theater on the day of the deadly shooting.

In the courtroom, Reeves' attorneys pushed for a January 2021 trial date, but the judge denied the request. 

Reeves lost his ‘Stand Your Ground’ claim in 2017, but months later, the Florida Legislature altered the law, prompting his attorneys to request he get a new hearing in light of the changes. That threw the case into limbo for years.

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However, in December, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the changes to the law would not apply retroactively. 

In January 2014, the deadly shooting started with an argument over texting inside the Cobb Grove 16 theaters in Wesley Chapel during a matinee showing of "Lone Survivor."

Reeves claims Oulson got mad when he told Oulson to be quiet. He says Oulson threw popcorn and a cell phone at him, putting Reeves in fear for his life, so he fired his gun.